Particulate hot gas stream cleanup technical issues. Annual report, October 1994--September 1995

This is the first annual report describing the activities performed under Contract No. DE-AC21-94MC31160. Task I of this contract is concerned with the analyses of HGCU ashes and descriptions of filter performance and is designed to address the problems with filter operation that are apparently linked to the characteristics of the collected ash. Task 2 of this contract includes characterization of new and used filter elements. Some of the problems observed at the Tidd and Karhula PFBC facilities include excessive filtering pressure drop, the formation of large, tenacious ash deposits within the filter vessel, and bent or broken candle filter elements. In addition to these problems related to the characteristics of PFBC ashes and the ceramic materials used to construct candle filters, our previous laboratory characterizations of gasifier and carbonizer ashes have shown that these ashes also have characteristics that might negatively affect filtration